Unless otherwise noted the "How to" links in Techniques are to Better Homes and Gardens which has good explanations, nice pictures,
and the odd video.

Bake - To cook in an oven

Baste - To moisten foods during cooking with drippings, water or seasoned sauce, to prevent drying or to add flavour.

Beat - To mix ingredients together using a fast, circular movement. How to Beat Egg Whites.

Blend - To mix ingredients together gently.

Boil - To heat a food so that the liquid gets hot enough for bubbles to rise and break the surface

Braise - To brown meat or vegetables in small quantity of hot fat, then to cook slowly in small amount of liquid either in the oven or on top of the stove. How to Braise Meat and Cabbage.

Broil - A method of cooking, in which the heat source is above or below the food, it is placed on a rack or grate and the speed with which it cooks depends on how far away it is from the heating element and the foods thickness. How to Broil.

Chop - To chop is to cut into small pieces. The pieces don't have to be uniform. How to Chop an Onion

Cream - To rub, whip or beat until a mixture is soft and fluffy. Usually describes the combining of butter and sugar for a cake

Crimp - To pinch together two pastry edges to prevent the filling from escaping. How to Crimp Pie Crusts.

Cut In - To blend a solid fat into a dry ingredient until the mixture is in the form of small particles.

Deglaze - A technique whereby after sautéing a food, liquid is added to the pan to loosen the caramelized bits of food on the bottom used to make a pan sauce. How to Deglaze a Pan.

Degrease - To skim the fat from the surface a hot liquid such as a soup, stock, or sauce.

Dice - To cut into small cubes. To dice is like to chop, but the pieces are smaller.

Dissolve - To stir a solid food and a liquid food together to form a mixture in which none of the solid remains. In some cases, heat may be needed in order for the solid to dissolve.

Drain - To remove all the liquid from food

Dredge - To coat a food, either before or after cooking, with a dry ingredient, such as flour, cornmeal, or sugar. How to Dredge Food.

Fillet - To cut (meat or fish) into fillets (a piece or slice of boneless meat or fish)

Fold - To gently combine a light substance with a heavier substance. The lighter of the two is placed on top and cut vertically into the heavier as the bowl is rotated a quarter turn with each series of strokes.

Fry - A method of cooking food that uses a small amount of oil or fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. It differs from sautéing only in that the food being fried is usually in one piece eg. steaks or chops.

Grate - See Shred

Grease - To lightly coat with oil, butter, margarine, or non-stick spray so food does not stick when cooking or baking

Knead - To press, fold and stretch dough until it is smooth and uniform, usually done by pressing with the heels of the hands

Marinate - To marinate is to take food and soak it in a mixture of spices, oil, and possibly vinegar to make it more tender and flavourful. You can generally marinate food for a half hour to days depending on the dish.

Mash - To squash food with a fork, spoon, or masher

Melt - To heat a food product until a liquefies

Mince - You may hear the word mince a lot with garlic. Mincing is chopping something into very tiny pieces. The Whys and Hows of Chopping vs. Mincing.

Mix - To stir ingredients together until well combined

Preheat - To turn oven on ahead of time so that it is at the desired temperature when needed. The oven will usually report reaching the desired temperature in about 5 to 10 minutes but to ensure consistent heat wait 20 to 30 minutes (unless heating a baking stone then increase the time to 45 minutes).

Pan-Fry - See Fry

Pan Sauce - A sauce made by deglazing the sauté pan used to cook meat, poultry, or fish, etc. with wine, stock or both and adding various ingredients including herbs, shallots, capers, etc. The liquid is then reduced to sauce consistency.

Peel - To strip or slip off outer coverings of some fruits or vegetables

Poach - To cook something in liquid with a temperature ranging from 140°F to 180°F. Poaching is typically reserved for cooking very delicate items like eggs, fish, and fruit. How to Poach an egg.

Proof - To dissolve yeast in warm water to prove that the yeast is alive, active, and capable of leavening dough for baking.

Render - The process of removing fat from meat at low temperatures. The object can be having less fat in the meat or the collection of the fat to produce traditional cooking fats lard, tallow, or schmaltz

Sauté - A method of cooking food that uses a small amount of oil or fat in a shallow pan over relatively high heat. It differs from frying only in that the pieces of food being cooked are usually small. How to Sauté.

Sear - A method of cooking food in which the surface of the food (usually meat, poultry or fish) is cooked at high temperature until a caramelized crust forms. How to Sear.

Shred - To push food across or through a shredding surface to make long, narrow strips. How to Shred Vegetables and Meat

Sift - To put dry ingredients through a fine sieve.

Simmer - To cook in liquid over low heat (low boil) so that bubbles just begin to form. How to Simmer.

Slice - To cut completely through an object. It also refers to the piece of food produced by the cutting action ie slice of bread, pizza, meat etc

Steam - To cook food over boiling water without putting the food directly in the water.

Steep - To soak a dry ingredient in a hot liquid until the flavour is incorporated into the liquid.

Stew - A method of cooking by which meat and/or vegetables are barely covered by a liquid and allowed to cook for a long time. Also refers to the finished dish.

Stir Fry - To quickly cook small pieces of food over high heat while constantly stirring the food until it is crisply tender. How to Stir Fry.

Sweat - To gently heat vegetables in a little oil or butter, with frequent stirring and turning to ensure that any emitted liquid will evaporate.

Temper - A technique for increasing the temperature of a liquid prior to adding it to a hotter liquid. How to Temper Eggs.

Thicken - A process to make a liquid more thick (as in thickening the turkey gravy). Common ingredients used to thicken liquids include cornstarch, egg yolk, cream, and whipped cream or butter just before service.

Thin - To add a liquid to a preparation in order to make it less thick.

Truss - To thread twine through the body of poultry for the purpose of holding the legs and sometimes the wings in place during cooking.

Velvet - a Chinese cooking technique used in stir-frying. Meat is coated in a mixture of egg white and cornstarch (rice wine or dry sherry and salt are frequently added), marinated for up to 30 minutes, and then cooked very briefly in hot oil until the surface is just cooked. It is then ready to be finished in other dishes. About food has a recipe for traditional velveting

Whip - To rapidly beat eggs, heavy cream, etc., in order to incorporate air and expand volume

Whisk - To beat ingredients (such cream, eggs, salad dressings, sauces) with a fork or the looped wire utensil called a whisk so as to mix or blend, or incorporate air

Zest - To remove the coloured peel of a citrus fruit (e.g. orange, lemon, lime) by using a grater, zester or vegetable peeler to remove the outermost part, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath. The peel itself is often referred to as zest.

Ingredients and

Aromatic - Any herb, spice, or plant that gives foods and drinks a distinct flavour or aroma.

Broth - a liquid made from meats, poultry, or fish with chopped vegetables and seasonings simmered in water. The liquid that is strained after cooking is the broth.

Crème Fraîche - traditionally made from unpasteurized cream left to naturally ferment, now made by adding fermenting agents with the necessary bacteria to cream. Make your own.

Masala - a spice powder mix used in culinary traditions of the Indian Subcontinent. The name comes from the Hindi word for spice. There are several main masalas with a nearly infinite number of variations by region.

Miso - a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans with salt and the fungus Aspergillus oryzae

Sambal is sauce typically made from a variety of chili peppers and secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, sugar, lime juice, and rice vinegar or other vinegars. Sambal is an Indonesian loan-word of Javanese origin. Traditional sambals are freshly made using traditional tools, such as a stone pestle and mortar.

Sauce - a hot or cold seasoned or flavoured liquid either served with, or used in the cooking process of a dish, designed to accompany food and to enhance or bring out its flavour.

Soy sauce - a condiment made from a fermented paste of boiled soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae moulds.

Stock - a liquid made from carcasses and scraps of meats, poultry, or fish with chopped vegetables simmered in water. Stock should be made with as much bone as possible and is not seasoned. The result should be a gelatinous substance.

Vinegar - a liquid consisting of about 5-20% acetic acid, water and other trace chemicals, which may include flavorings. Vinegar facts from epicurious.

Za'atar - a generic name for a family of related Middle Eastern herbs oregano, basil, thyme, thyme, and savory. It is also the name for a condiment made from the dried herb(s), mixed with sesame seeds, dried sumac, and often salt, as well as other spices.

Kitchen Towels - A kitchen towel is plain, usually white, often with a stripe, and very
utilitarian. They are absorbent and durable and should be available in bulk, because you need a clean one every time you cook.

Knives/Cutting Devices (in order of importance)

Chef's Knife - 8" to 12" depending on the size of your hand. It isn't necessary to buy a really expensive knife but it must feel comfortable. Don't buy a knife you can't try. How to use.

Steel - Often called a honing or sharpening steel it is neither. Its sole purpose is to straighten the edge of the blade. There is no point having a good knife without a steel. How to use.

Paring Knife - a small knife with a plain edge blade Used for detail work which would be awkward with the larger knife

Peeler - a device with a safety blade for peeling firm vegetables. While a paring knife can perform the same task it requires greater skill to do so safely and with minimum waste.

Rolling Pin - A kitchen tool used primarily to roll out dough, but has many other uses as well. Although there are varying types, one characteristic remains with all, a perfectly symmetrical cylinder to make the dough evenly flattened.

Saucepans - Straight sided clad (multiple layers of metal) or at least double bottomed pots, 4 and 6/8 quart sizes will be the most useful. Sets are pretty and sometimes the most economical but leave you with un-needed pots. Wait until you're flush to buy non-stick.

Skillet/Frying pan - Wide flat bottom with sides that flare outward at an angle. It has about 30% less cooking surface than a similar diameter sauté pan. You should have at least one good cast iron and one non stick.

Spatula - a small implement with a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, scrape, spread and lift material. The name encompasses a wide variety of shapes

Steamer - either a metal pot insert or the traditional bamboo multi part steamer

Stock Pot - is a wide pot with a flat bottom, straight sides, a wide opening to the full diameter of the pot, two handles on the sides, and a lid with a handle on top. These are available in many sizes.

Whisk - A cooking utensil consisting of several wire loops secured to a handle Used to blend ingredients smooth, or to incorporate air into a mixture. How to use.

Virtually all pots and pans are now available with a variety of 'non stick' surfaces for reasons which have more to do with the manufacturers bottom line
than with your requirements. Well seasoned cast iron and high carbon steel have long been the non stick pans of choice in professional kitchens. As good as
they may be they are not the equal of a new coated non stick pan. Few would dispute that non stick is invaluable for eggs and crepes. Many will argue that those
two applications are all that it is good for. Among the opposing views on non stick pans (and what they are worth) are none other than
Serious Eats and
epicurious. My money is on the cheap ones.
It just doesn't matter how much you pay the coatings don't last, even ceramic, and require way too much babying.

Not So Basic Equipment

Electric Hand Mixer - Makes whisking and mixing much easier

Garlic Press - quicker than chopping and usually finer cut.

Microplane Grater - ultra fine to coarse graters

Wok - a versatile round-bottomed cooking vessel, originating from China. They are usually made of carbon steel and require a special burner which has at least twice the thermal capacity of any residential range.

Miscellaneous

Dash - very small amount of seasoning added to food. Somewhere between 1/16 and a scant 1/8 teaspoon.

Pinch - A very small amount of an ingredient traditionally the amount that can be taken between the thumb and forefinger. Approximately 1 8 teaspoon.

Scant - Not quite up to full measure or slightly less than the specified amount.

Safe Internal Cooking Temperatures

"The Government of Canada is committed to food safety. Health Canada establishes regulations and standards
relating to the safety and nutritional quality of foods sold in Canada. Through inspection and enforcement activities, the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency verifies that food sold in Canada meets Health Canada's requirements."

We seem to be pretending this problem doesn't exist. Some other countries treat non-intact meat and boned, rolled roasts the same as ground.

Steak (turn over at least twice during cooking)

63°C (145°F)

Pork (requires 3 minute rest time)

Medium rare

63°C (145°F)

Medium

66°C (150°F)

Well done

71°C (160°F)

71°C (160°F)

Poultry2

Breast

74°C (165°F)

74°C (165°F)

Thigh, leg

74°C (165°F)

79°C (175°F)

Whole

82°C (180°F)

same as above

Giblets1

74°C (165°F)

Ground meat and meat mixtures

74°C (165°F)

77 to 79°C (170 to 175°F)

Egg3

Egg dishes

74°C (165°F)

4

Seafood

Fish

70°C (158°F)

70°C (158°F)

Shellfish

74°C (165°F)

4

1Health Canada does not list offal so I took the numbers from other countries (there was little variation). It is widely held that offal
is unpalatable when cooked to these 'safe' temperatures.2Given the sorry
state of poultry in North America it is at best imprudent to ignore these temperatures.3Hewing to this standard means that all eggs must be hard cooked. Probably isn't going to happen.4It is not generally possible to measure the temperature of these items in a home kitchen.
Now that you know the safe cooking temperature the real goal is 7.0 log10 relative reduction of Salmonella. See the
long story